The documentary It’s Coming is produced and directed by Shannon Alexander. The filmmaker chronicles the supernatural woes befalling Ashley Roland-White and her children. Ever since she was a little girl, Roland-White saw entities no one else could. At 11, she would play with Max, knowing he was real, even though others could not see him. These encounters were never hurtful, so imagine her surprise now, as a mid-30s married mom, when it seems that there is an evil presence out to harm her family. Specifically, a being calling itself Kitty has befriended Javier, who appears to be more withdrawn and temperamental after each interaction.
This is where Alexander comes in. The filmmaker interviews Roland-White and the children (though the husband is M.I.A.) about recent and past experiences with ghosts and other paranormal phenomena to paint a complete picture of what’s actually happening in their Brooklyn apartment. This home was formerly her husband’s grandpa’s place, which he left to him after passing away. Roland-White is reluctant to seek help as she’s African-American, and there’s a stigma surrounding her race and the supernatural, even from people who aren’t trying to be racist. Are Javier’s behavioral changes due to his interactions with Kitty? If so, can Roland-White save her soon before it is too late? If not, what is causing these changes, and how can they be redressed?
“…there is an evil presence out to harm her family.”
It’s Coming differentiates itself from the slew of paranormal investigations/ghost-hunting documentaries by being as matter-of-fact as possible. No fuzzy shadows dance across the scene. A blurry figure in the distance isn’t so much as hinted at, much less seen. The presentation is as by-the-numbers as one can get: Alexander sits the subjects down on a couch or chair in the apartment and interviews them. Occasionally, something action-adjacent might happen, but even those moments are not caught on camera. But the style comes across like a well-produced, made-for-TV documentary, which adds a realism the likes of The Harrisville Haunting could only dream of. While skeptics will laugh at that film for its cheesiness, this feels grounded and definitive in a unique manner.
However, the film runs 88 minutes, which is a long time for the story being told. In part, it feels this way because Alexander does not offer much in the way of a prologue to help establish everything. No, the director throws the audience into the foray in medias res, and it takes a good few minutes to follow all the threads. Also, because no hokey “ghost action” is shown, there is not a ton visually that is all that engaging. But the desperation in Roland-White’s voice when discussing what’s going on with Javier cannot be denied. She will do anything to help Javier, make no mistake about that. So, while the dramatic and realistic presentation is why it is easy to believe Ashley Roland-White, it is also why the documentary is a one-time watch.
It’s Coming convincingly depicts the horrors a woman goes through at the hands of a paranormal entity. Ashley Roland-White believes every word she says and is desperate to help her child. However, by being so grounded, not much actually happens. As such, it is hard to gauge how the paranormal-inclined or the skeptic will receive it. But no matter, as this is worth experiencing once if just to witness Roland-White’s kickass maternal instincts.
For more information, visit the official It’s Coming site.
"…differentiates itself from the slew of paranormal investigations/ghost-hunting documentaries..."
